Hong Kong’s top Catholic cleric calls for closer ties with mainland Chinese churches during Beijing trip
- Five-day visit by Bishop Stephen Chow marks first time local top Catholic cleric has made Beijing trip since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule
- Chow calls for more exchanges, cooperation and understanding between Hong Kong and mainland’s Catholic communities
Hong Kong’s top Catholic cleric has called for closer ties among the city’s diocese, local churches and their counterparts in mainland China during the fourth day of his historic trip to Beijing, which he hoped would not be his last.
Chow’s five-day trip marks the first time a senior Catholic cleric from Hong Kong has visited Beijing since the financial capital was handed back to Chinese rule in 1997.
The visit also came amid renewed tensions between the Vatican and Beijing over the latter’s recent unilateral decision to name a new bishop of Shanghai in an apparent breach of a bilateral pact.
Calling the Holy Spirit a God of unity rather than division, Chow expressed hope that both communities could welcome inclusion and testify to their shared beliefs.
“So I hope that the two [Beijing and Hong Kong] dioceses can foster more exchanges, more understanding and cooperation,” he said during the mass, before leading a prayer with attendees.
Citing Pope Francis’ emphasis on the spirit of “walking together”, Chow said bishops, priests, nuns and parishioners should all learn to respect and listen to one another.
Chow also visited the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as Xizhimen Church, where he was greeted by local parishioners.
He said he was pleased with the opportunity to visit the capital, adding: “I hope it will not be my last visit.”
“They have also encouraged me to visit other dioceses given China is such a huge place, with different dioceses having various environments,” Chow said.
Asked whether he had discussed China-Vatican ties with Beijing officials, he said: “This is a matter between states, but [our exchanges] are inter-dioceses.”
The bishop earlier said his visit, arranged after Li made an invitation last year, underscored the mission of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong to act as a “bridge church” that promoted exchanges between the city and the mainland.
Chow, who is being accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing and Vicar General Father Peter Choy Wai-man, will return to Hong Kong on Friday.
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The Holy See has been trying to improve ties with Beijing, which were severed in 1951. The Vatican is now the only European state to have formal diplomatic links with Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory.
In 2018, the Vatican and the mainland took a step towards repairing relations when Beijing and the Holy See reached a provisional agreement on the appointment of Chinese bishops.
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But critics of the 2018 agreement have accused the Vatican of selling out the underground church and pushing it to pledge allegiance to government-controlled Catholic bodies that have vowed independence from Rome.
Earlier this month, Beijing named Joseph Shen Bin as the new bishop of Shanghai, the country’s biggest Catholic diocese, in an apparent violation of the bilateral pact between the two states.
The Holy See said it was only informed of the decision a few days before the announcement.
The Vatican named Chow as head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese in May 2021 after the post remained vacant for more than two years following the death of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-chung.
Chow has previously pledged to repair divisions in the community after the polarising events of recent years, urging the public to open themselves up to reconciliation.
Trained in educational psychology, Chow has headed the Society of Jesus in Hong Kong since 2018 and has been supervisor of its two Catholic secondary schools for boys since 2007.
